Walter s



(No Model.)

W. S. PIERCE.

RENDERING APPARATUS.

Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

0000 on on omvoo 351344 aftoz mu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VALTER S. PIERCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RENDERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,066, dated March 10, 1896.

' Application filed April 24, 1895. Serial No. 547,014.. (No modeL') To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER S. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city,-in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rendering-Tanks, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of rendering-tanks employed for the extraction of oils from garbage or other refuse, although the said tank may be employed in connection with any material con taining oil as the oil or fat extractor.

Theobject of my improvement is to simplify the construction of the tank in such particulars as will facilitate the charging and discharging of the contents thereof, and as will hasten the entire operation and render it easily carried out.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a vertical section of a rendering-tank embodying my improvement; and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, with certain parts broken away to more clearly illustrate details.

a is the shell of the tank, which, as shown, is provided with a charging-manhole b and a discharging-manhole c, the manholes being located at opposite ends of the shell. Supported within the shella are a series of steampipes d arranged concentric to a larger steampipe d. These steam-pipes are supplied with steam through the supply-pipe c, the exhaust being carried off at f, and the pipes communicating with one another through the connecting-pipes g. These connecting-pipes may be multiplied if desired. The series of pipes thus arranged are supported partly by a rod or rods h depending from the dome of the shell, and partly by brackets 1' extending from the inner wall of the shell.

The object of arranging the steam-pipes'as described, instead of in the usual form of a coil, is to avoid interference with the downward discharge of the matter to be treated. It will be seen that there is practically no obstruction to the downward passage of such material in the construction devised by me.

Suspended Within the arrangement of steam-pipes is a series of perforated pipes, the object of which will be explained hereinafter. These pipes are lettered j, and, as

shown, they are connected at the top and bottom by a spider k, which spider is suspended by a rod or rods Z from the dome of the tank,

and the pipes themselves are supported by brackets m extending from the inner wall of the tank.

Within the tank at some distance from the bottom I arrange a perforated screen n, upon which the matter undergoing treatment rests. This screen is somewhat f unnel-shaped, as shown, and its bottom is provided with gates 0 hinged on a rod p supported in the sides of the screen, the object being to lower these gates and thereby to discharge the contents of the tank above them into the bottom of the tank, from whence they can be removed through the manhole 0. These gates are provided with a couple of hinge-straps q, the ends of which are provided with two right-angled bends, as shown at 0". Extending laterally from the inclined portion of the screen is a flange s, which, as shown in Fig. 2, is broken away at t, which is apoint in line with the straps q. It is obvious that by this arrangement the straps q are permitted,when the gate is closed,

to extend over this opening on the flange of the screen at t, and that if a bolt is shot across the opening it will lock the gate in the closed position. I have shown a bolt to operated by a threaded rod 'u extending to the exterior of the shell and provided at its outer end with an operating-wheel w. This bolt is carried at the end of the said rod U, which rod turns loosely in the same so as not to turn the bolt, but gives it longitudinal movement in both directions by means of the collars w. The gates are closed by the workman entering through the manhole 0 before the charge has been dumped into the tank, while it is obvious that said gates may be opened from the outside after the charge has been treated by operating the wheel w, one of said wheels be ing provided at each side for each gate 0.

Surrounding the funnel-shaped screen at the lower part of the shell of the tank is a steam-coil y, the inlet of which is at y and the outlet at g The arrangement of this steam-coil between the inclined sides of the screen and the shell of the rendering-tank entirely removes such steam-pipes from interference with the downward flow or discharge of the contents of the tank, while at the same time it enables a high degree of heat to be maintained in the tank and reduces the number of steam-pipes necessary for the upper part of the same.

I will now describe the operation of the apparatus. Assuming the material to be treated within the tank and the gates 0 closed, there is then supplied a quantity of a solvent, such asnaphtha, through the pipe A, or, if preferred, through the pipe F. Steam is then admitted to the pipes within the main body of the tank from the inlet 6, and also to the pipes in the part of the tank below the screen through the pipe 1 Thereby the solvent action of the naphtha is quickened, and the dissolved oils, fats, &c., will begin to descend through the mass. To facilitate this descent the perforated pipes j are employed, it being obvious that the liquid will tend to enter the perforations in such pipes and to flow in an uninterrupted course through the interior of the same down through the screen a. The liquid oils and water freed at parts of the mass not adjacent to the pipes j will percolate downward through the mass and thence through the screen it to the eo1npartment below the screen. At times it may be desirable to blow live steam directly into the center of the mass. This is done by means of the steam-pipe B, which is connected, as shown, with one of the perforated pipes j. \Vhen this construction is used, the spider will be composed of pipes perforated at the bottom, which communicate through one perforated pipej to another. So, also, it maybe desirable to admit steam on top of the contents of the tank, and to this end the pipe C is provided. In order to draw off the water and grease or oil, I provide a pipe D. The pipe E is provided for the purpose of admitting steam to the bottom of the tank for the purpose of recovering the solvent. As the steam rises, it carries with it the solvent and the same is carried oii to a condenser through the pipe G. The action of the steam is facilitated by reason of the perforated pipes j, which tend to aiford a free passage upward for the steam and solvent and also dissemi-- nate them through the mass above the screen, as will be readily understood.

I claim- 1. A rendering-tank for the extraction of oils and fats from solid material containing the same, such as garbage, comprising an upright vessel, a funnel-shaped screen in such vessel on which the solid material is placed and through which the extracted oils and fats pass, a gate or gates in said screen for the discharge of the solid material, a chamber beneath said screen for receiving the dissolved fats and oils, and steam-pipes beneath said screen over which the extracted oils and fats pass, substantially as set forth.

2. A rendering-tank for the extraction of oils and fats from solid material eontainin the same, such as garbage, comprising an upright vessel, a funnel-shaped screen in such vessel on which the solid material is placed and through which the extracted oils and fats pass, a gate or gates in said screen for the discharge of the solid material, a chamber beneath said screen for the dissolved fats and oils, steam-pipes beneath said screen over which the extracted oils and fats pass, a m anhole at the upper end in said tank for the introduction of the solid material, and a series of vertical steam-pipes in said vessel above said screen and outside of said manhole, whereby said steam-pipes will not interfere with the solid material entering the vessel, substantially as set forth.

3. A rendering-tank for the extraction of oils and fats from solid material containing the same, such as garbage, comprising an upright vessel, a funnel-shaped screen in such vessel 011 which the solid material is placed and through which the extracted oils and fats pass, a gate or gates in said screen for the discharge of the solid material, a chamber beneath said screen for the dissolved fats and oils, steam-pipes beneath said screen over which the extracted oils and fats pass, a manhole at the upper end of said tank for the introduction of the solid material, and a series of vertical perforated pipes in said vessel above said screen and outside of said manhole, whereby said pipes will not interfere with the solid material entering the vessel, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 17th day of April, 1895.

WALTER S. PIERCE. Witnesses:

EUGENE CONRAN, JOHN R. TAYLOR. 

